This invention relates generally to containers having a plurality of cells for the storage of a plurality of objects. More specifically, the invention relates to containers that provide selective access to the cells.
The origin of this invention is a problem that arises in storing, handling, and using identification "tags" that are being used or have the potential of being used for identifying fish, birds, animals, or inanimate objects such as credit cards. Some of the more interesting applications involve objects of small size which means that the tag must be minute. In many cases it is desirable to permanently attach the tag to the object which means implantation of the device in the tissues of living things and somewhere beneath the surfaces of inanimate objects.
The implantation of an identification tag in living tissue is accomplished with a hypodermic syringe-like tool that holds an elongated cylindrically-shaped tag. The implantation tool utilizes a tube with one end cut at a slant and sharpened to form a wedge-shaped end with which to make an incision in the skin and a plunger that enters the tube at the other end and is used to apply a longitudinal force to the tag that rests in the tube just above the wedge-shaped end. The implantation is accomplished by making an incision with the wedge-shaped end and then forcing the tag through the tube in the incision and under the skin by means of the plunger.
At the present time identification tags are supplied to users in bulk containers for immersion in a disinfecting solution. This delivery system requires the user to remove a tag from the container with tweezers, insert the tag into the implantation tool, and finally make the implantation. The process is awkward and time-consuming and provides several opportunities for dropping the tag necessitating a disinfecting step before reuse. The process is particularly cumbersome if the user has a large number of tags to implant at one time.